Adventurer #06: Оттяг: тест для демомейкеров на ZX Spectrum

╔───────────────────────────────────────╗  
│       Are you a cool demomaker?       │  
╚───────────────────────────────────────╝  

Surely, each of you has tried to make a demo or, at least, felt the desire to create one. The test that will be offered to you below will allow you to evaluate yourself as a potential demomaker.

01 Why did you decide to make a demo?

 a) I just dedicate all my free time to demomaking.  
 b) I will take it to Enlight, and let everyone know how cool I am!  
 c) I never waste my free time on such a useless activity as demomaking.

02 What music do you use in your demo?

 a) I use music written for me by my friend.  
 b) I write it myself.  
 c) I rip it from some demo or game.

03 What graphics do you use in your demo?

 a) I use graphics drawn for me by my friend.  
 b) I use converted graphics from other platforms or rip it from some game.  
 c) I draw it myself.

04 What effects do you use in your demo?

 a) I take ideas from AMIGA, PC, or other sources, and then try to implement them on SPECCY.  
 b) I come up with and code them completely myself.  
 c) I rip them from games and other demos.

05 Do you use pure animation in your effects?

 a) Can you make a beautiful effect any other way?  
 b) Very rarely. Usually, all my effects are realtime calculating or, at best, sprites are outputted by tables.  
 c) I use it, but mainly only in very complex places requiring high performance.

06 What do you do if you see an effect in a new demo that looks similar to one you finished just yesterday?

 a) I still include this effect in the demo.  
 b) With the words "SHIT HAPPENS!", I erase my effect from the disk.  
 c) For some reason, all my effects look like someone else's.

07 If you see an interesting effect in some demo or game, then...

 a) After thinking a little, I guess how it works.  
 b) I dig inside and keep digging until I understand everything.  
 c) I immediately rip it out and insert it into my demo.

08 What does your scroll look like?

 a) Usually, it flies, twisting, across the screen and sometimes tries to crawl onto the border.  
 b) It is outputted by character and shakes a little.  
 c) It is an ordinary, smooth pixel-perfect scroll without any unnecessary frills.

09 How often do you use English in your texts?

 a) Usually, it’s a mix of English and Russian, with a clear predominance of the latter.  
 b) Almost all texts in my demos are written in English.  
 c) What English?! I write in Russian with mistakes.

10 How often is the word "fuck" used in your scroll texts in reference to others?

 a) What else is the point of writing a scroll?  
 b) Practically never.  
 c) Sometimes. Especially when someone really annoys me.

11 What machines do you focus on?

 a) Pentagon - RULEZ!  
 b) I try to make my demo look cool on all machines.  
 c) For some reason, all my effects lag even on Pentagon.

12 How many demos have you participated in?

 a) More than ten.  
 b) From one to ten.  
 c) None, but I think I will write something soon.

13 Have you participated in a demoparty?

 a) What is that?  
 b) Yes, of course!  
 c) No, but I think I will be there this year.

14 How do others evaluate your contribution to demomaking?

 a) I sometimes receive letters asking me to write a new demo.  
 b) All my friends think that I do pretty well.  
 c) No matter how many demos I made, no one understood how cool a demomaker I am.

                Rating  
                ───────  

 1. A)    5 Points       8. A)    5 --"--  
    B)    3 --"--          B)    0 --"--  
    C) -100 --"--          C)    2 --"--  

 2. A)    2 --"--       9. A)    2 --"--  
    B)    5 --"--          B)    5 --"--  
    C)    0 --"--          C)    0 --"--  

 3. A)    2 --"--      10. A)    0 --"--  
    B)    0 --"--          B)    5 --"--  
    C)    5 --"--          C)    2 --"--  

 4. A)    3 --"--      11. A)    3 --"--  
    B)    5 --"--          B)    5 --"--  
    C)    0 --"--          C)    0 --"--  

 5. A)    0 --"--      12. A)    5 --"--  
    B)    5 --"--          B)    3 --"--  
    C)    3 --"--          C)    0 --"--  

 6. A)    2 --"--      13. A)    0 --"--  
    B)    5 --"--          B)    5 --"--  
    C)    1 --"--          C)    2 --"--  

 7. A)    5 --"--      14. A)    5 --"--  
    B)    3 --"--          B)    3 --"--  
    C)    0 --"--          C)    0 --"--  

               Your points  
               ─────────  

                  70  

 You are the coolest demomaker in the world, fully dedicated to demomaking. Moreover, you do everything yourself, from coding to music and graphics. Everyone loves your demos. They have the most unseen and exciting effects, and they manage to work on all types of SPECCY. You are always a welcome guest at demoparties, where your demos, music, and graphics take prize places, etc. In general, complete COOL and RULEZZZ!!!  
 Or maybe you just messed up somewhere in the score?  

                50-69  

 You are quite a cool demomaker. Of course, you are not a jack of all trades (there are very few people who are equally good at writing music, drawing graphics, and coding effects), but in your area, you are undoubtedly a master. You manage to create decent effects and you devote a lion's share of your free time to demomaking. Your demos often showcase things that no one has done before you. Keep it up!  

                30-49  

 It seems you are still a beginner demomaker, but if you don't give up this exciting endeavor - you are destined for universal recognition. Learn from the masters of the craft, and everything will come to you.  

                10-29  

 Either you are a total lammer or a very big slacker suffering from delusions of grandeur. Stop ripping off other people's effects and spend more time improving your professional level, otherwise you are surely destined for the fame of THD.  

                 0-9  

 I wonder why you started answering the questions of this test? In my opinion, it would be better for you to learn not assembly, but to practice a little in BASIC. It is somewhat easier to grasp.  

                =>-100  

 Either you are not interested in demomaking at all or one of the two.  

────────────────────────  
 So how did you do on the rating? I hope it’s not bad.  
 Recently, I was rummaging through my old disks, blowing the dust off them, and found on one of them several curious screens. As far as I remember, I downloaded them from D.J. DENS back in 1994, and they had been lying around uselessly since there seemed to be nowhere to insert them. They were taken from "Russian folk blackouts," which were scanned by SERG.  
 Although once, one of the screens was used by SURGEON and me in a demo, but it did not gain wide distribution, so you will see all the screens. For starters, a couple or three.  

 Aren't they hilarious? Let's reinforce the fun with a portion of jokes.  

           (C) Gwi Of Extacy-3  
       (C) Fedorov "Chasm" Vladimir -  
           translation and additions  

Contents of the publication: Adventurer #06

• Presentation
  This is an introduction novel for the game Return to Home 4, featuring space battles and a narrative about pilot Raifus navigating challenges in a military context.
• Presentation
  The article presents K.KAV software's new game 'DEATH WORLDS: TORISTAG INVADERS RETURN TO HOME 5', a real-time strategy continuation of 'RTHЧ'. Players will battle against competitors on resource-rich planets while managing technology and military forces. The game's projected release is between late spring and summer of 1997.
• System Software Updates for ZX Spectrum - Котов А.В.
  The article reviews various software updates and utilities for ZX Spectrum, highlighting their features, usability, and performance. It provides insight into programming tools, disk management, and database applications. The tone blends critique and personal experience to inform readers about the latest developments in Spectrum software.
• Overview of ZX Spectrum Software
  The article provides a comprehensive overview of new software for ZX Spectrum, highlighting various games, their features, and recommendations for players.
• Interface
  Discussion of the ZX Spectrum's interface issues and user frustrations with compatibility and modern enhancements. The author critiques the push for users to modify their machines for non-standard features and expresses dissatisfaction with current trends. Reflection on the future of the ZX Spectrum and the need for a more vibrant community involvement.
• Interface
  The article discusses feedback from readers regarding games and programming tools for ZX Spectrum. It includes cheat codes for a game, opinions on assemblers, and insights into user preferences for computing. Various reader inquiries about games and software are also addressed.
• Interface
  The article discusses issues surrounding the OVER FILE GROUP, a game developer known for mail-order sales, and the impact on user trust in software distribution. It also raises the question of whether to transition the magazine to 128K ONLY, seeking reader feedback. The piece reflects on the importance of user support for maintaining a trusted gaming community.
• Interface
  The article discusses recent news in the ZX Spectrum community, including game development updates, personal news about developers, and local happenings in the Rybinsk and Yaroslavl areas.
• Presentation
  The article presents new software releases by SURDAKAR GROUP, including a demo of ROAD FIGHTER and updates on FONT EDITOR and RAY DISK MONITOR.
• Promotion of Adventure Games
  The article provides a detailed analysis of the adventure games 'APOLLO' and 'ЧУЖОЙ', evaluating their gameplay, challenges, and shortcomings in design.
• Ottyag
  Discussion of computer slang and its impact on modern language, highlighting humorous interactions among users.
• Оттяг
  The article presents a humorous collection of absurd lists, including reasons for dinosaur extinction, alternative names for Robinson Crusoe's Friday, and more.
• Ottyag
  The article presents a test for aspiring demo makers, assessing their skills and commitment to demo creation on the ZX Spectrum. It evaluates their approaches to music, graphics, effects, and their overall engagement with the demo scene. Results determine their standing from novice to expert in the demoscene community.
• What Not to Say or Do When Drunk
  The article provides humorous advice on what to avoid saying or doing when drunk, based on personal anecdotes. It emphasizes the consequences of poor decisions and offers cautionary tips. The content is lighthearted and reflects on typical drunken behaviors and their repercussions.
• Friendship Quiz
  The article presents a humorous quiz about friendship, evaluating how friends would react in various social scenarios, culminating in a scoring system to assess the depth of one’s friendships.
• Ottag
  Статья представляет собой сборник китайских пословиц с юмористическим подтекстом, отражающих различные аспекты жизни и отношений. Она сочетает в себе элементы сатиры и легкого фольклора, используя ироничные наблюдения о человеческом поведении. Текст включает в себя аллюзии на сексуальность, настольные игры и религиозные вопросы.
• Оттяг
  Статья представляет собой пародийное евангелие, где события жизни Иисуса Христа изображаются в неформальном и юмористическом ключе.
• Experience Sharing
  The article provides a detailed guide on creating a complete disk version of a program for ZX Spectrum, including code examples and practical advice.
• Experience Exchange
  The article provides a comparative analysis of the PC and Amiga platforms, highlighting their respective advantages and disadvantages based on personal experience.
• Experience Exchange
  The article discusses the existence and behavior of computer viruses on the ZX Spectrum, particularly the BASIC file infecting virus known as 'Drunken Djinn', first seen in the game Last Battle.
• Code Protection Methods
  The article discusses various methods of software code protection, detailing techniques like inversion masking, obfuscation, P-code, cryptographic algorithms, and the use of ISR. Each method is evaluated for effectiveness and application, particularly within the ZX Spectrum environment. The author invites further information and collaboration on information security methods.
• Anniversary
  The article celebrates the sixth issue of 'ADVENTURER,' marking one year since the founding of the AURYN group. It reflects on the past year for the Speccy community, including the emergence of new programs and the first demomakers' gathering in the CIS. The author expresses hope for the future of Speccy and encourages readers to support and promote the platform.
• Anniversary
  Article celebrates the 15th anniversary of the Spectrum, reflecting on its enduring legacy and recent developments in hardware and software.
• Novella
  The article narrates a novella centered on a covert mission involving a programmer named Gerald O'Brien, who is hired by a drug lord called Swede to infiltrate a rival's computer network, leading to a thrilling sequence of espionage and violence.
• Contest
  The article discusses a contest related to ZX Spectrum, showcasing submissions and participants' creativity.
• Advertisement
  The article is an advertisement section in Adventurer #06, inviting hackers, programmers, artists, and musicians to contribute to the ZX Spectrum community. It outlines collaboration opportunities, offers specific requirements for software submissions, and includes contact information for advertising and game distribution. Additionally, it promotes a range of ZX Spectrum software and services available across various cities.